Top Dc Prosecutor: Trump Pardons Couldn't Erase Impact Of Capitol Riot Convictions

Pardoning rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol four years ago can't erase the truth about what happened that day, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C., said Tuesday as he prepares to leave office.

"There is no undoing these prosecutions," U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves told The Associated Press. "The vindication of the rule of law is something that has already occurred. And no one can take that away."

Graves helped lead the largest investigation in Justice Department history, overseeing hundreds of cases against rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His successor, whoever that will be, may preside over an abrupt end to that work.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to pardon Capitol rioters when he returns to the White House next week, but Graves said pardons can't undo "the record that was built through these prosecutions and the accountability that has already been imposed."

"There will always be a public record of what occurred on January 6th, and people who care to know the facts will be able to find out the facts," Graves said.